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Comments by the Office of the Chargé d'Affaires of the People's Republic of China in Lithuania on the Erroneous Remarks on Taiwan by Seimas Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen and Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis
2022-08-12 15:56

Q: On August 5th and 8th, Speaker of Lithuanian Seimas Mrs. Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said through Elta and Ziniu Radijas, “US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is undoubtedly an important signal to the democratic world. The visit will contribute to countries further developing ties with the people of Taiwan.” To follow Pelosi’s suit, she will actively promote the speakers of the Nordic and Baltic countries and other EU member states for a joint visit to Taiwan to demonstrate the maximum support for the democratic society of Taiwan. On August 8, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Mr. Gabrielius Landsbergis published an article in the British media "Daily Telegraph" accusing China’s military drills of undermining the peace of the Taiwan Strait and crumble the global security architecture, and said that “the free world will not let Taiwan to become the second Ukraine". What is China's comment?

A: The context and the events that led to the tensions in the Taiwan Strait are crystal-clear. So far, more than 170 countries, international organizations and politicians have publicly expressed support for the one-China principle and opposed US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Mrs. Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen and Mr. Gabrielius Landsbergis, acted against international mainstream, have not only been selectively blind to the US's egregious act of violating China's sovereignty, followed the US’s suit, but even made accusations against China. Those remarks are  inappropriate and extremely irresponsible, to which China firmly opposes and strongly condemns. We would like to reiterate China's position as follows:

First, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is a dangerous and malicious political provocation that not only seriously infringes on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, sends a serious wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, but also seriously intensifies the tension in the Taiwan Strait and jeopardizes the peace and stability of the East Asian region. Under the circumstances, Mrs. Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen and Mr. Gabrielius Landsbergis openly welcomed Pelosi's visit to Taiwan and declared that she would promote jointly visit to Taiwan with the Speakers of other countries to embolden the “Taiwan independence” separatist activities. This is a highly provocative act of playing with fire.

While Ukraine crisis is intensifying, energy shortage and inflation are severe in Lithuania, Lithuanian politicians like Mrs. Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen should have more urgent livelihood issues to solve, and the dying African famine victims like those in Kenya deserve her attention even more. We hope that Lithuanian politicians could make a clear distinction between truth and false, act prudently, and earnestly recognize the severe harm of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, not act as a henchman for the U.S. strategy of "using Taiwan to contain China", and not make any more wrong decisions that will damage Lithuanian national credibility and the fundamental interests of its people.

Second, there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. That is the real status quo in the Taiwan Strait. Over the years, the US has been playing the "Taiwan card" to contain China by approving arms sales to Taiwan, stepping up its official interactions with Taiwan, distorting, obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle, and emboldening "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. The Taiwan authorities have kept seeking US support for their independence agenda. They refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus that embodies the one-China principle, and go all out to advance "de-sinicization" and promote "incremental independence", which is severely changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

It is the United States that stirred up the trouble; it is the United States that created the crisis; and it is also the United States that kept escalating tensions. The United States and the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces have become the biggest destroyers and provocateurs threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. If Mr. Gabrielius Landsbergis really cares about peace in the Taiwan Strait and the global security architecture, he should condemn the US and Taiwan authorities and prevent them from provoking and playing with fire on Taiwan question, rather than favor and connive at the perpetrators and provocateurs without principle, and put absurd pressure on rights defenders. This kind of hypocritical double-standard  behavior lacks the most essential level of fairness and justice.

Third, with the connivance of the U.S. government, Mrs. Pelosi blatantly visited Taiwan. In response to the U.S's perverse action of seriously infringing on China's national sovereignty and interfering in Chinese internal affairs, China has taken decisive measures to resolutely counteract the US in order to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is justified, reasonable and legitimate. Lithuanian politicians are in no position to make unwarranted remarks, nor are they qualified to make arbitrary accusations against China. It is a blatant act of double standards that some people, while being vocal about the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, have kept undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question. In addition, the Taiwan question is China's internal affairs, how can it be compared with the crisis between Ukraine and Russia.

Fourth,the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Lithuania clearly stipulates that “the Government of the Republic of Lithuania recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China and Taiwan as an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. The Government of the Republic of Lithuania undertakes the obligation not to establish official relations or engage in official contacts with Taiwan.”Lithuania’s repeated breaches of promise are sheer perfidy.

Lithuania has to bear full responsibility for its acts of deteriorating China-Lithuania bilateral relations. China will not sit idly by the provocative behavior of the relevant personnel of Lithuania that challenges the one-China principle and undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We urge the relevant personnel not to continue to act as pawns of "Taiwan independence" and anti-China forces, and not to go further down the wrong path.

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